DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have submitted their list of 11 protected players (7 forwards, 3 defensemen and a goalie) for the upcoming Expansion Draft that will take place on Wednesday, July 21.
>Video above: Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog sits down with our 'From the Cheap Seats' podcast.
A notable name absent from the list is Gabriel Landeskog, captain of the team.
Last season, Landeskog recorded 52 points (20 goals and 32 assists) in 54 games with the Avalanche. Mikko Rantenan and Nathan MacKinnon were the only two Avalanche players to record more points during the regular season. Landeskog also registered 13 points (4 goals and 9 assists) during the postseason.
If Landeskog does not sign a deal with Colorado, or is not selected and signed by Seattle in the draft, the Avalanche captain will become an unrestricted free agent on July 28.
Below is Colorado's list of protected players:
While leaving the captain off the list may seem like an oversight, there are other factors that limit who can be protected by their team.
According to the league, all players with a no-movement clause in their contract will automatically be protected and will count against the team's protected player allotment, unless the player agrees to waive the clause at the time of the draft.
Each team participating in the draft must expose, at minimum, the following:
- A defenseman who is under contract in 2021-2022 and had played at least 40 games in the last season (or 70 games in the prior two seasons).
- Two forwards who are under contract in 2021-2022 and had played at least 40 games in the last season (or 70 games in the prior two seasons).
- A goalie who is under contract in 2021-2022 or will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract immediately prior to 2021-2022.
On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken (the NHL's 32nd franchise) will begin selecting one player from each of the 30 NHL teams participating in the draft. The Vegas Golden Knights reached an agreement with the league upon entry in 2017, that the franchise would not participate in the next expansion draft.
The Kraken are required to take 14 forwards 9 defensemen and 3 goalies during the draft. Seattle must sign a minimum of 20 players from the draft to contracts for the upcoming 2021-2022 NHL season. The Kraken are not allowed to buy out any of these contracts until the summer following its first season.
Seattle officially became the 32nd NHL franchise on April 30, after making the final expansion franchise payment. The Kraken will begin play during the 2021-2022 season.
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